Our Nightmare

Old Photographs

There are a lot of things Sally is getting used to, the longer she lives with the Pumpkin King.

But the taste of freedom is her favorite.

Now that she is out of the Doctor's protective clutches, she missed so many opportunities to become her own person. All she used to do is clean and cook every day, with the spare time to read books or sew clothes. It was only after she started escaping and making friends when she realized what she was capable of. She's left with all the time in the world now. With better supplies and circumstances....she can work on sewing as long as she wants, no longer obligated to drop everything to cook for the man she's living with. She's able to finish a book within a couple of weeks instead of a month.

She's embracing the new things in her life. Jack showed her how to use his telephone not long ago. She called the Doctor and spoke with him on the same line for the first time. The conversation was awkward. It was uncomfortably quiet for the most part, Sally feeling too shy to initiate most of the talk. Luckily, Finklestein seemed curious about her new living conditions. She got to speak about Jack's manor and what kind of room she has now, which resulted in silence or a few words from his end.

Their conversations since then have picked up, and sometimes Sally will even speak with Jewel on the phone. She learns more about her as time goes on. She speaks of her experiments she is having with the Doctor in the laboratory. It feels nice to hear how well things are going for them, and in return, she tells Jewel how amazing it is living with Jack.

It already feels like she's talking to a pair of parents who care about how she is doing.

When all is said and done, the ragdoll is left to wander around the Skellington manor. She explores a little in her leisure time, finding everything is bigger than she first thought. The hallways feel longer when she walks down them. She hears the walls creak in displeasure as she steps somewhere new. She lays a hand on the smooth surface and the groans go away. She feels strangely at peace.

At least the house likes her.

Her black eyes travel the walls curiously. Most of the space is taken by pictures arranged in neat patterns. She remembers admiring them the first day she was here. She hadn't gotten the chance to look at them all. She takes her free time to advantage and starts browsing them.

Many are old black-and-white photos. They consist of timeless photographs of Halloween Town and the older citizens. She finds the pictures of Jack again. Seeing him sitting by himself in so many, with only Zero around and forced smiles aimed at the photographer... Her stomach twists unpleasantly at the sight. Something feels wrong seeing him this way, even if it was so long ago. A sudden coldness stirs in her chest. She holds a hand over it in an attempt to warm her leaves again.

She'll talk to him when he gets home.

----

Jack Skellington sighs in relief when he passes through the doors of his own home. He takes off his jacket and hangs it by the door, feeling hot after a day of moving around. He feels the cool air start to chill his bones, then rolls his sleeves up to his humerus. He loosens his bat bow tie and takes it off, heading upstairs to its rightful drawer in his bedroom. He's curious to hear things so quiet. The skeleton shrugs it off as he kicks his shoes. When he comes out of his bedroom, he finds Sally climbing up the stairs.

"Good evening." He greets with a smile and leans forward to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm terribly sorry I came home late...it was a long day."

"I understand." She feels a longing in her chest when he pulls his hand away from her face. "How are you feeling?"